The Reflecting Pond

Caroline & Rafael

2011-10-24T20:49:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month, I had the privilege of photographing Caroline and Rafael's wedding at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois. The fall colors made for an especially picturesque portrait session, followed by a beautiful ceremony!

I actually met Caroline last autumn when I was interviewing for a Fulbright grant back at Northwestern University, my alma mater. During the interview, she and other faculty members asked me about my proposed photography project. Several months later, I was delighted to receive a message from Caroline about photographing her upcoming wedding.

For me, photography is about getting to know those I photograph and sharing their stories. Caroline and Rafael made this really enjoyable. I had a blast spending time with the two of them and meeting their family and friends. Among other things, I was really impressed to learn that Caroline had designed and created her wedding dress by herself! I was also touched that she celebrated her grandfather's birthday during the reception, presenting him with a cake and a large, wrapped gift. Caroline and Rafael also had one of the most unique guestbooks I've seen; in addition to signing an actual book, guests were encouraged to sign their name in marker on several wine bottles - one for each of the couple's first five anniversaries.

Thank you, Caroline and Rafael, for a wonderful wedding and reception. And again, congratulations!

The D.C. Hurriquake

2011-08-28T16:36:00.000-07:00

I've experienced my fair share of bad weather since I started living in the nation's capital. When I moved to D.C. from Chicago two years ago, the area was hit by a Chicago-caliber snowstorm. More commonly known as the "Snowpocalypse," the storm shut down the entire city for almost a week. Earlier this summer, as the city's heat index soared to 120 degrees Fahrenheit for three days straight, D.C. experienced a deadly heatwave.

Then, this past week, D.C. and surrounding areas were slammed by a 5.8 magnitude earthquake (comparable to those I experienced growing up in Southern California) AND a hurricane - two natural disasters extremely rare in this part of the country. Supposedly, you have a better chance of winning the lottery than experiencing an earthquake and a hurricane here within the same week.

I was so rattled by the whole experience that I didn't take too many photos during the disasters themselves - but I did go out to document some of the aftermath.

First, the earthquake. As it happened, I was out volunteering at Project Perry on Aug. 23. A parrot rescue and sanctuary, Project Perry is located in Louisa, Virginia, a mere 10 miles from Mineral, the earthquake's epicenter. I was just about to start driving home when I heard a loud rumble; curious and somewhat concerned (and thinking there might have been an explosion), I got out of my car. The noise grew louder, and then everything started shaking for a good 30 seconds. The parrots inside the sanctuary screeched more loudly than I've ever heard before! (A couple of photos of the birds below, taken just before the quake hit).

After the shaking stopped, I ran out to the African Grey aviary, where Project Perry's founder Matt Smith had been working. Thankfully, he was all right, as were all the birds inside. I was somewhat freaked out by the entire situation - not so much because of the earthquake itself (I've experienced many earthquakes before), but because I never expected one to happen in the Mid-Atlantic. After helping Matt clean up a little (water had sloshed everywhere from the birds' water bowls), I finally headed home - a trip that ended up taking about four hours as a result of heavy traffic.

My house sustained minimal damage during the earthquake, but sadly, I learned that the National Cathedral (where I worked part-time for a year and half) had not been as fortunate. Several of its spires and statues had been broken off, and numerous buttresses had cracked. I went over to photograph the damage the following day. The Cathedral grounds were pretty desolate, with yellow caution tape strung up to block visitors from dangerous areas. Below is one of the damaged spires:

Walking around the Cathedral to investigate, I encountered Michael Egbert, 62, of Arlington, Va. Egbert (above) was using a pair of binoculars to get a closer view of damage to the building. The National Cathedral is supposed to remain closed until Sept. 9, but it is going to need substantial financial assistance for repairs, which are estimated to cost in the millions. To help out, visit the Cathedral's website.

Only a few days after the earthquake, D.C. and the East Coast were put on hurricane alert. As Hurricane Irene worked its way up the coast, D.C. residents cleaned off grocery store shelves and sat in traffic for hours to get sandbags, which were handed out for free at RFK Stadium. Having experienced some minor flooding in my house during heavy rain, I was concerned about the approaching storm. Luckily, my roommates and I escaped with only some minor leaks in our kitchen ceiling. We didn't even lose power!

Unfortunately, others in surrounding neighborhoods weren't as lucky. I wandered around this afternoon (the day after the hurricane), and came upon a number of fallen trees and limbs, some of which had smashed cars parked below.

I shot my favorite image of the day near the intersection of 5th Street NE and Constitution Ave. NE, where a huge tree had obliterated a Volvo parked below. Before police arrived to remove the tree, children from the neighborhood decided to explore it a little. Here, Fiona, 11, constructs a fort out of branches.

My thoughts continue to be with all those affected by this week's natural disasters.

Life Around the Capitol

2011-08-19T08:50:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling kind of frustrated lately. Freelancing is a lot more difficult than I was anticipating - not just getting assignments, but dealing with all of the paperwork and minutiae of running one's own business. I finally realized the other day that I had not picked up my camera to shoot something in almost two weeks!

Recently, following the advice of a fellow photographer, I decided to make a "story box," or a box where I put all of my story ideas. After a really frustrating couple of days this week, I decided on Wednesday to open the story box and begin working on one of the mini-projects I have been thinking about for a while.

Some of you might know that I recently moved from the northwest side of Washington, D.C., to Capitol Hill. While initially I was a bit hesitant to move here (some areas are a bit shady, especially if you walk a few blocks north or east of our house), I love the neighborhood. Overall, it's much more vibrant than the area I used to live, and the people seem to be nicer, too. I am about a 10-minute walk from Eastern Market - an open-air market that occupies several blocks every weekend - and about a 20-minute walk from the Capitol building.

As much as I like the neighborhood, I realized that I have spent relatively little time photographing it. I think one of the hardest things to do as a photographer is to make good images of one's own surroundings, which become familiar and seemingly less photo-worthy over time. One of the ideas I placed in my "Story Box" was "Life Around the Capitol." What is it like to live in an area at once filled with tourists and occupied by a large government workforce? Sweating in the swamp-like summer weather, I walked around the Capitol building on Wednesday afternoon, trying to explore these ideas and actually see my surroundings, instead of just walking through them, as I often do. I soon came across John Solomon and Ellen Sitzman, of Iowa.

I hope to work on this project fairly frequently. Following my interest in religious issues, I'm thinking about attending/photographic services at a different neighborhood church every Sunday (there are many small churches on Capitol Hill, so this will take a while). I'm also thinking about taking a tour bus around downtown, just so I can see it again through a tourist's eyes.

Whenever I get frustrated or upset about this freelance business, I just need to remind myself that it's not the paperwork or other frustrations that matter. It's the photography. I can't allow that to get lost.

Greetings from Ocean City

2011-08-03T07:39:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of spending this past weekend in Ocean City, Maryland, with a friend and her extended family. The Conley clan had rented out almost an entire condo complex for a week in this touristy beach city, which is located about three hours from Washington, D.C. My family is tiny in comparison, and it was fun to spend time with such a large, closely knit group of people. Both older generations and younger generations went out to bars together and soaked up the sun on the beach.

One of the most peculiar things I saw while strolling along the Ocean City boardwalk was a giant sand sculpture of Jesus' face. I'm pretty sure that this was part of the annual "Jesus at the Beach" festival that takes place in the area. I saw advertisements for this on my drive in; sadly, I had just missed the final day. Oh well - maybe next year!

In any case, I found the giant face in the sand to be pretty disconcerting, and I visited it several times over the course of my stay to try to capture it from a variety of angles.

One of the most memorable things about my Ocean City trip was the delicious food - especially the Maryland crabcakes.

And finally, a couple of shots from my last night there, taken while waiting for dinner in a restaurant. As golden-hour sunlight filtered in through the windows, I focused on 95-year-old Constance Conley's hands and bright pink nails.

Andrew & Leenie

2011-07-20T12:43:00.000-07:00

I recently had the privilege of photographing the wedding of Andrew and Leenie Linnehan in Chicago. Both Northwestern University alumni with obvious school pride, Andrew and Leenie invited me back to my alma mater to document their wedding day. I was thrilled to take part in this couple's special day and revisit some of my college memories in the process.

Andrew and Leenie asked to have their portraits taken on the southernmost tip of the Northwestern Lakefill, where the couple had shared their first kiss years before. After taking photos against the backdrop of the Chicago skyline, we headed to the Evanston Golf Club for the wedding ceremony and reception. With a purple color scheme and several other references to Northwestern and Chicago, Andrew and Leenie's wedding day was one of the most spirited occasions I've photographed!

Below are some of my favorite images from the day:

Congratulations, Andrew and Leenie!

Visit to Richmond

2011-07-14T17:08:00.000-07:00

I've been working independently as a photographer for some time now. I come up with story ideas and pursue them when I have free time, often traveling to remote places by myself. There are benefits to working solo (people seem to open up to and trust me pretty easily, for one), but I've increasingly realized the value of collaboration. When I'm working as part of a team, I have people to bounce ideas off of, people to question and challenge me when my stories start to stray off track.

I met art student Kate Fowler at the serpent-handling service I attended in West Virginia back in May. She and two other artists are working on a film documentary about pastor Randy Wolford, the man pictured handling a rattlesnake several posts below this one. Kate e-mailed me a couple of weeks ago to suggest that we collaborate on photography/film projects. Our interests are pretty similar, but our approaches are totally different. I think our different perspectives could complement each other nicely on a variety of topics.

I went out to Richmond yesterday and met up with Kate and several friends. We brainstormed about some possible projects and made tentative plans. A couple of photos from my visit:

When Life Gives You Scorching Heat, Go to Museums

2011-07-11T16:23:00.000-07:00

I just returned from Dallas, Texas, where I spent a few days visiting a friend and former coworker. Facing summer heat almost worse than that in Washington, D.C., we spent the majority of the weekend inside air-conditioned venues. This included the Dallas Museum of Art, the Nasher Sculpture Center, and the one-of-a-kind chapel at Thanksgiving Square.

I'm not usually one for photographing museum exhibitions, but part of the Nasher's "Sightings" exhibit by Martin Creed was too strange/fascinating not to photograph. Creed had filled a room on the lower level of the museum with about 9,000 balloons, which visitors to the museum were free to navigate.

Wandering through the balloon room was no easy feat! Nikki, Gabe, and I stumbled after each other through the masses of balloons, pushing the large yellow globes out of the way so that we could stay in each other's sight. My hair stood on end as a result of all the static in the room. I remember being afraid that I would somehow pop a balloon with my camera, or that I would get lost in the sea of yellow and never find my way out. One of my favorite sights was the apparent nonchalance of the security guard as she guarded the door.

We spent part of Saturday visiting Dallas' Thanksgiving Square. I'd never heard of the place before, but according to the organization website, the square offers "a place for all people to give thanks to our Creator." The chapel contains a spiraling stained glass window, which is best viewed by lying on the floor; a giant ring sculpture also stands outside.

Seeking a different way to photograph the spiral window, I asked Gabe to pose for the following portraits.

Sunday was Nikki's birthday, and we spent the majority of it pool-side. While I didn't take too many shots during the day, the evening made for some interesting and slightly disconcerting images. Looking at the image below, I am reminded of Gregory Crewdson's "Twilight" series, whose eerie lighting/cinematic feel I sometimes emulate - sometimes consciously, but mostly not.

Happy Independence Day!

2011-07-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

There are several times a year that I'm especially grateful to live in the nation's capital, and Independence Day is one of them. Despite the oppressive heat and humidity, the district seemed to come alive yesterday. I spent my afternoon at Freedom Fest, a free music festival at Navy Yard. The following images offer some slightly different views of the event.

A participant dancing at one of the free concerts:

A boy cooling off in the Navy Yard fountain:

D.C.'s fireworks are also quite a sight, but throngs of people know this. In order to get a decent view of the show, you need to camp out on the mall for almost the entire day. Though I didn't get the photos I wanted of the main event, I spent some time shooting an amateur fireworks show that spontaneously started in a local park (and was later shut down by the police):

Happy Independence Day!

A Fading Tradition

2011-05-31T22:15:00.000-07:00

I’m finally back in Washington, D.C. after a week in West Virginia. It’s always a little disconcerting to return to the traffic and fast pace of this city after peaceful seclusion in the mountains. I think one of the things I enjoy most about going to southern West Virginia is being temporarily disconnected from the outside world, and, as a result, being able to focus only on my work.

The last few days of my trip were just as memorable as the first – perhaps even a little more so. On Saturday, I was finally able to attend and photograph/record a church service with serpent-handlers. This is something I have been hoping to do since my first trip to West Virginia; it was also the impetus for my initial trip.

As a refresher, serpent-handlers belong to a certain type of Pentecostal Holiness church that interprets the King James Bible very literally, including a passage in the book of Mark suggesting that those anointed by the Holy Spirit shall be able to handle deadly snakes and remain unscathed. A typical service begins with much music and singing. Once the pastor and other sense that they are possessed by the Holy Spirit, they will pick up and pass around rattlesnakes, copperheads, and other poisonous snakes. The practice can be seen as the ultimate act of faith.

Watching this transpire in front of me on Saturday afternoon was absolutely mesmerizing. The rattlesnake that had been angrily rattling in its box for the previous two hours seemed totally unfazed as pastor Randy Wolford passed it between his hands and draped it around his neck. I should also point out that handling serpents is only one part of the religious service, which would otherwise appear like any other Pentecostal church service. There are ample preaching, music, dancing, and testifying, as well.

The story of the serpent-handlers is not new, and it is one that has been sensationalized quite a bit over the years. West Virginia is the only state where serpent-handling is legal, and handlers are often wary of publicity that could cast a negative light on the practice or put its legality in jeopardy.

I'm not interested in sensationalizing the practice or in making any judgments about it. It's actually quite fascinating to me, and I have a great amount of respect for people who have such strong convictions and are so passionate about their beliefs. I was initially drawn to the serpent-handlers out of sheer curiosity; I wanted to find out more about the faith, as well as its role in a region where it has an extensive history. Now I'm most interested in how the tradition is changing in tune with the area's struggling economy and shrinking population. Talking with several of the people who attended Saturday’s service, I realized that the serpent-handling churches are facing the same struggles as the region’s other Holiness churches – aging and dying congregation members, as well as a lack of interest among members of the younger generation. So long a part of southern West Virginia's religious identity, it seems that it is in danger of dying out.

The other memorable part of my weekend was attending a wake service for Rev. John Henry Jewell. I had photographed Preacher Woods digging Jewell’s grave several days before. This wake service was not too different from the one I attended during my first visit to West Virginia, except that it was for a pastor. I’ve mentioned how the area’s traditional Holiness churches and religion seem to be fading away. Jewell’s death and wake service were a case in point.

My project is not done, but at least I feel I now have a definite focus and a character to pursue. Stay tuned for updates as I put together my multimedia presentation for the AU religion course and continue to visit the region.

Holiness in the West Virginia Mountains

2011-05-27T12:15:00.000-07:00

It’s odd to be back online after almost a week in the mountains of southern West Virginia. For the past five days, I’ve been working on my project about the Holiness churches and religion in this region, and I’ve been without Internet access and cell phone reception. While it’s nice to have a break from technology, I’m glad to be able to update everyone on my work and where it’s taken me.

Immediately after getting back from the NPPA Multimedia Immersion workshop in Syracuse, New York, I set out on my third trip down here to McDowell County, an area known traditionally for its Pentecostal Holiness churches and, more notably, its community of serpent-handlers. This denomination of Christianity interprets the Bible literally, including a passage that says true believers shall be able to handle poisonous snakes and remain unharmed. During my first two trips, I met several serpent-handlers belonging to Pastor Tommy Addair’s church, where I also attended a service, but I soon began to expand my focus to other Holiness churches in the region. The mountainsides are dotted with Holiness churches, many of them in nondescript buildings, sometimes in old schoolhouses.

Yet, as important as Christianity is to this region, I get the feeling that many of these traditional churches are dying out. Several pastors have told me that their congregations have shrunken – that the older generations that used to attend services have passed away, and that the younger generations are largely apathetic. Many young people have moved away for jobs or are troubled by drugs. The towns in McDowell County show many signs of neglect.

There have been many stories about Appalachia in the news recently, mostly about mountaintop removal mining and its impact on local populations. The disappearance of traditional mountain mining towns is well known. The story that’s not as well known – and the one that moves me the most – is what is happening to the religious identity of this region. Like the Appalachian mountains, the forces that have helped define this community over the years are staring to fade away.

How and why is this happening? What can be done about it? I have a feeling that it will take me several more trips to the area before I can fully answer these questions. In the meantime, I have been asked to give a presentation about my work in a religion course at American University. I decided to make my third trip to McDowell County, West Virginia, in order to gather more material (both still images and video) and deepen my understanding of what is happening to traditional Holiness churches here.

Some photos from my journey to the area:

One of the core messages that I took away from the Multimedia Immersion workshop was that every photo story must have a character. I met Pastor Roger “Pete” Woods during my first trip here, and during my two visits since then, I’ve been shadowing him as he works in the community. In his 60s, Pete is on the go virtually from sunrise to sunset visiting the sick, helping people with chores, and preaching in multiple churches. Though he has only had his current car for about nine months, it already has close to 60,000 miles on it. He is quite an important figure in many residents' lives.

Pete is also one of the area’s primary gravediggers. Since the beginning of 2011, he has dug about 40 graves by hand and either preached at or attended dozens of wake services. He has dug hundreds of graves over the years. If anyone is acquainted with the death of the local population and the effects its had on traditional churches, it’s Preacher Woods.

My third day here, I got up at the crack of dawn to accompany Pete as he dug a grave for John Henry Jewell, a pastor who died as a result of lung complications caused by years in the coal mines, Pete said. Almost six hours after reaching the mountaintop Mitchell cemetery, Pete and several helpers had dug a 55-inch deep grave for Jewell, who is to be buried within the next several days.

Though Jewell died of other causes, cancer seems to be a common killer around here, and many hypothesize that it’s being caused by the natural gas wells that are popping up throughout the surrounding mountains. Some estimate that there are hundreds of wells hidden amongst the winding roads and dense foliage. I can’t resolutely make the link between gas wells, cancer, and the decline of traditional churches, but I do think there is a relationship.

I’ve attended several church services since I’ve been here as well, including one at the Church of God, where a man named Jimmy Allen is pastor. However, weakened by his battle with cancer, Allen isn’t always able to preach. Pastor Pete Woods has stepped in to help Allen and often leads the services. Most striking at the service I attended last night were the rows of empty pews.

This morning, I drove out of McDowell County to the nearby town of Grundy, Va., in order to use the Internet and make contact with friends and family. I’ve used this time to plan my work for the weekend: I’m hoping to attend a service by Pete Woods tonight, a serpent-handling service tomorrow during the day, Jewell’s wake tomorrow night, and a grave-decorating service on Sunday. I plan to head back to Washington early on Monday morning.

I’m also taking today to reflect on my work thus far. I have essentially been embedded in the McDowell community this week, as I have been during previous visits. Matthew and Joann Pruitt (whom I met during my first trip) graciously welcomed me into their home and have provided me with meals and a place to stay while I work on my project. I sometimes get uneasy about being embedded in a community – am I compromising my objectivity by being too close? Joe Mahoney, a photographer friend of mine, recently told me that you know you’re too close when you hesitate to shoot a picture. This hasn’t happened to me thus far. I do believe that part of being a good visual storytelling is being a human being and building relationships with subjects. Staying with the Pruitts has definitely aided my work, in that I have built trust and made contacts that I probably would not have otherwise.

I have decided to step back a little bit and spend nights in Grundy, Va., for the remainder of my trip, making trips to McDowell County during the day. Hopefully this time will enable me to reflect and plan more effectively.

Thunderstorms, grave-digging and all, this past week has been intense. However, I feel like I am finally making some progress.

Onward.

Easter Bubbles

2011-04-25T10:32:00.000-07:00

This year for Easter, I drove out to Baltimore to eat dinner and spend some time with my relatives. Though I don't live terribly far away, I haven't seen my mother's side of the family - especially the children - very often since I moved to Washington, D.C. As I watched the kids run around my aunt's backyard waving bubble wands and exulting in the simple joys of childhood, I couldn't help but feel refreshed. I haven't done a lot of child portraiture, but I understand why many photographers enjoy and specialize in it.

Upcoming Exhibit!

2011-04-23T21:49:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, I've been working in conjunction with The Tasting Room - a wine bar in Chevy Chase, Md. - to coordinate a photography exhibition. The exhibition date is finally nearing! Titled "Re-Evaluation," the show will be on display from April 28 - May 9, 2011, and will feature 10 of my recent images, all of which will be for sale. Please see the formal announcement below:

Please stop by to see my artwork and try some of Boxwood Winery's new rosé wines! I plan to be at The Tasting Room for several hours on Sunday, May 1, but the exhibit will be up for the entire 12 days. Hope to see you there!

Marketing and Portraits

2011-04-11T23:39:00.000-07:00

Tonight I met up with a photographer friend, Serena Kefayeh, to discuss marketing strategies and get some advice about how to build my personal brand. While we were out, I shot a portrait of her for her new website. It was pretty dark out, but with the 50mm f/1.2 lens, I was able to get some nice colors and blurred city lights.

As a photojournalist, I'm not used to staging events or posing people, which can sometimes make portrait, wedding, and event photography a bit challenging for me. Over the years, though, I have learned that it is entirely possible to shoot these kinds of assignments with a documentary mindset. There is always a narrative or personality to be found illustrated in a way that appears natural and candid. I tried to do this during Serena's portrait shoot tonight.

NPPA NewsVideo Workshop

2011-03-19T16:39:00.000-07:00

I'd like to write a little bit more about my experience this past week. As I mentioned in my previous post, I traveled to Norman, Oklahoma, for a six-day workshop with the National Press Photographers Association. Photographers (still and video) of all skill levels were invited to attend, as well as others who were simply interested in learning more about video storytelling.

This is the second journalism workshop I've ever attended, the first being a 13-day workshop with the California Scholastic Press Association during high school. The CSPA workshop was an invaluable part of my growth as a journalist, and I'm beginning to think of this NPPA workshop in a similar way. It's not that I became an incredibly skilled videographer over the course of six days, but I now feel like I know the essentials of video storytelling and can build upon them.

The workshop consisted largely of lectures by accomplished professionals in the field, followed by hands-on shooting and editing exercises. The attendees (about 100, I think) were split into teams, with two or three people in each team assigned a "story" to shoot over the course of three hours. We were allowed to stage these stories for the sake of practicing our video skills. We then received critiques on our raw and editing footage. The critiques were often harsh, but I was glad to receive feedback.

One of the most valuable things I learned at the workshop was the difference between still and video storytelling. In still photography, the goal is to tell the story in one shot. In video, you have to break down the story into a logical sequence of shots. You need to portray a scene in a manner similar to how the human eye perceives it - as a series of wide, medium, and tight shots. I was one of about five still photographers at the workshop, and I think most of us were struggling with this. I did have the advantage of shooting with my Canon 5D Mark II, which produces video of exceptional quality.

Again, I don't claim to be a master videographer, but I do feel like I acquired some important skills this past week. I know it will take a while for me to master them, so I intend to practice shooting video on a regular basis, in addition to shooting still images. Maybe I'll just make up mini-assignments for myself - something to keep me shooting.

Below is a short piece I produced during the workshop. It's silly, but it illustrates some of the concepts I learned. Note the variety of shots, sequencing, and action/reaction - ideas that were somewhat foreign to me before:

Green Beer from Lauren Pond on Vimeo.

I know I will always be a still photographer. I find that the still photograph resonates with me in ways that words and moving images do not. However, photographs and video work well together. What I learned at this workshop will ultimately make me a stronger visual storyteller capable of using multiple media in compelling ways.

Greetings from Norman, Oklahoma

2011-03-18T20:33:00.000-07:00

I have spent the past week at the National Press Photographers Association's annual NewsVideo Workshop in Norman, Oklahoma. Though I thought I would have time to write a blog post or two during my time here, I've been involved in the workshop from about 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. Quite an experience! I've learned a ton about visual storytelling and met some great people. I'll write about this in greater depth later, but I just wanted to share some of the images I've taken over the past few days here in Oklahoma.

One piece of advice that our instructors gave us this week: Know your gear. This may seem obvious, but with so many automated functions on digital SLRs, it's easy to get lazy and let the camera do all of the work. I think I know my camera (a Canon 5D Mark II) pretty well, but in order to maximize its potential in video and stills, I want to practice the different techniques that make my images stand out. Yesterday I decided to practice shooting more with my 50 mm f/1.2 lens, which creates the super selective focus I enjoy and seems to accentuate color.

My mini-assignment included, first, a St. Patrick's Day party at the hotel bar:

After the final workshop session today, a friend and I decided to drive to Oklahoma City to see the Oklahoma City Memorial, which commemorates the bombing that occurred in 1995. Though I took some wide shots, I made sure to shoot with the 50 mm lens as well. My favorite shot depicts items affixed to a fence around the memorial:

Lastly, a family friend and I visited the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, where there is a fascinating colored glass exhibit by Don Chihuly. I tried to use my lens to give the scene a heavenly quality:

Keeping the Faith

2011-03-10T21:52:00.000-08:00

I just returned from my second trip to McDowell County, West Virginia. What a journey! I got stranded in a mountain blizzard on my way there, and there were flood warnings on my way back to Washington five days later.

For those who haven't read my previous postings, I decided to go to Jolo, West Virginia (located in McDowell County), about three weeks ago to begin a documentary photography project about the town's infamous serpent-handling churches. In this variety of Pentecostalism, people interpret the Bible literally, including Mark 16: 9-20, part of which reads:

"And he said unto them: Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."

When they feel the Holy Spirit, some of those attending a church service will handle deadly snakes - such as rattlesnakes and copper heads - to show their faith in God. If someone is bitten, he or she generally doesn't seek medical treatment. Serpent-handling has been outlawed in every state except West Virginia, where it is also dying out, as I discovered during my first trip to Jolo. The remaining serpent-handlers tend to be wary of media attention, because their practices have drawn criticism in the past.

Unable to photograph the serpent-handlers last month, I turned my lens to the community. I became interested in some of the burning issues there, including cancer, unemployment, and environmental degradation. I also became interested in the role of the Pentecostal/Holiness churches amidst all of this. To quote the book The Serpent Handlers: Three Families and Their Faith, "The church becomes a refuge in places where life is hard, and Jesus represents a promise and an escape."

Though there are only about 23,000 people in McDowell County (down from about 100,000 in the area's heyday), it seems like there is at least one church on every street. Some of these churches are Baptist or Methodist, but most are Pentecostal/Holiness. They don't always stand out, either; while some are located in larger buildings, many are small and nondescript.

It has been difficult for me to develop an angle in this project about Appalachian religious practice. I originally wanted to show the importance of Christianity in the Jolo area. However, judging by the shrinking congregations and the number of churches that have shut down, it seems that religion in the Appalachian mountains - much like the local population - is struggling to survive. The fervent Christianity often associated with the region has dissipated as older generations have died off - often from cancer - and younger generations have moved away in search of education and jobs. Once a steady source of employment, local coal mines have shut down, leaving many people jobless and reliant on government assistance. Drugs are growing problem.

However, the more time I spend in McDowell County and surrounding areas, the more I realize that this decline is somewhat superficial. In my previous post, I referred to West Virginia as a land of contrasts, and it truly is. Amongst all of the dilapidated buildings and litter are some of the nicest families I have ever met, including the Pruitts, who somewhat adopted me during my visits. And for every abandoned church, there is a preacher who works to muster faith and keep salvation within reach.

I've decided that the real story is not the importance of religion to the people of Appalachia, but the struggle to keep it alive.

When Life Gives You Snow, Make Snowballs

2011-03-07T22:33:00.000-08:00

I set out from Christiansburg, Va., yesterday morning intending to reach Jolo later in the afternoon. As I drove into the mountains, the pouring rain I had experienced all morning quickly turned into a heavy snowfall. My goal quickly became just to find a safe place to stop and wait out the storm. I ended up in Bluefield, Va., where I had also stayed for a night during my previous trip to Jolo.

Unable to drive much of anywhere, I decided to walk around and explore in the snow. I didn't get very far, but the church and mountains near my motel made for interesting shots. The surrounding mountains were somewhat elusive in the snowstorm:

I made the remainder of the drive into Jolo today, and spent the afternoon speaking with two families I met during my previous visit.

After talking to several people here, I've realized that religion in McDowell County is a complex issue. I'm having a hard time putting my finger on exactly what the story is. Before I made my initial trip, I'd read that religion has long served as an important source of strength in this area, which endures unemployment, drugs, and a high cancer mortality rate. I think I might have allowed this to narrow my focus too much. On the one hand, yes, there are people who say prayer is what holds everything together. On the other, though, I've seen dozens abandoned churches, and I've heard that church attendance isn't nearly what it once was. Are religion and spirituality as prominent as they used to be? Or are they experiencing decay and neglect, like many local businesses and homes?

Don't get me wrong - for many McDowell County residents, faith runs deep. I do want to capture the rich spiritual life that many here lead. Tomorrow I'm planning to shadow Pastor Roger Woods, who has been described to me as a true "man of God." In addition to conducting services several times a week, Woods spends many of his days ministering to the sick and digging graves.

On another note, this area is full of contrasts. Wandering around McDowell County today, I saw scenes of utter waste and abandonment, as well as scenes of lushness and beauty.

Road Trip Back to Jolo

2011-03-05T22:00:00.000-08:00

With my trip to Florida canceled, I'm on my way back to Jolo, West Virginia, for a less traditional "spring break." Over the next several days, I'm hoping to spend more time exploring religion's role in the area, and to shadow pastor Roger "Pete" Woods, whom I met on my previous trip. More on this later, but I just wanted to share an image I took during today's/tonight's road trip:

As I exited Interstate 66 West and got on Interstate 81 South, these glowing crosses greeted me from the otherwise pitch-black hills. I actually noticed the crosses during my previous trip, but I didn't pull over to take a picture. They remind me of the church I photographed in West Virginia a few weeks ago:

I find myself increasingly interested in the interplay of religion/spirituality and the environment. I used to think of these as separate topics, but lately I've realized how the two can influence each other.

Spring is Just Around the Corner!

2011-03-01T23:06:00.000-08:00

As I was going through some of my old city shots today, I found the following image, which I shot during last year's Cherry Blossom Festival:

A pleasant reminder that spring is almost here!

Thorrablót

2011-02-24T13:23:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, the Icelandic Association of Washington, D.C. celebrated the national Icelandic holiday known as Thorrablót, which is a midwinter feast. Held on Feb. 19 from 6 p.m. to midnight, the event featured lots of flavorful Icelandic dishes (imported from Iceland!), live music, and a raffle.

I currently serve as the secretary of the Icelandic Association and was hired to photograph guests as they arrived at Thorrablót. With a lack of free space and lots of busy backgrounds, this posed somewhat of a challenge. Eventually we decided to pose guests against a backdrop of the Icelandic flag.

Though I spent the majority of my time shooting the guest arrival photos, I also got a few funny shots during dinner. Here, Veronika Kolomichuk (acting vice president of the Icelandic Association) makes a face at an Icelandic dish known as svið, or boiled sheep's head.

"Map to Heaven" - Jolo, WV, Days 2 & 3

2011-02-15T12:40:00.000-08:00

I frequently go into a story with a certain angle in mind. Invariably, after I've spent some time working on the project and getting to know the people involved, the angle changes.

My project about Jolo, West Virginia, is no exception. I entered the mountain town last Saturday hoping to gain people's trust and begin a story about serpent-handling churches. Over the course of the weekend, I realized that the serpent-handlers are but one facet of a much larger story - that of religion's role and development in this impoverished, unforgiving part of the U.S. Write Fred Brown and Jeanne McDonald: "The church becomes a refuge in places where life is hard, and Jesus represents a promise and an escape." (From The Serpent Handlers: Three Families and Their Faith).

Evidenced by the sheer number of churches - many of them Pentecostal - faith continues to be a source of strength and community in the Jolo region, which has been besieged by cancer, unemployment, and drugs. Over the years, many of Jolo's inhabitants have died or moved away in search of employment. Congregations have experienced infighting and have split or dwindled in size. Many churches have closed. However, those who continue to attend services remain steadfast in their beliefs and their service to God.

After driving into Jolo on Sunday, I attended a service led by Thomas Addair at one of the area's few remaining serpent-handling churches. I was not permitted to take any photographs or video during the service, and for a good reason - those who practice serpent-handling are often painted in a negative light. They have been portrayed as devil worshippers and just plain crazy.

Part of the reason for these stereotypes is that photos and video of serpent-handling are often shown out of context, Addair said. There are other important aspects of the religion that aren't acknowledged in outsider accounts. Those in the serpent-handling churches interpret the King James Bible very literally and believe that the ability to handle deadly serpents is but one sign of a true believer.

After the service - which lasted until about 3 p.m. - I headed back to Matthew Pruitt's house. He had mentioned the day before that a wake would be held for his sister-in-law on Sunday evening. The service would be conducted by preacher Roger Woods at a Pentecostal/Holiness church (though not one that practices serpent-handling). I figured it couldn't hurt to ask - would Matthew minded if I attended and took photographs? No, of course not - I was welcome to attend, and photographs would probably be permitted.

After getting approval from immediate family members, I photographed the wake of Connie Jean Riffe, 48, who had died of cancer. Invited to stay for the dinner afterward, I spoke with several family and community members, most of whom were very welcoming and appreciative of my work. Stepping outside that evening, I was struck by how the church stood out against the rugged mountains.

The wake and dinner lasted until about 11 p.m. Deciding the trip back to Bluefield on the dark, icy roads wouldn't be a good idea, I accepted Matthew's offer to let me stay at his family's house for the night. Though I intended to leave early the next morning for Washington, I decided to hang around for the funeral service. After a breakfast of biscuits and sausage, we went to a brief church service, then made our way up a mountain to the family graveyard. The drive up the steep, unpaved roads was somewhat terrifying, and I'm pretty sure my knuckles turned white as I gripped the dashboard of the Pruitts' truck.

As I stood on the outskirts of the cemetery, I found myself overwhelmed by the tragic beauty of the West Virginia countryside and deeply respectful of the people who live there. After living in D.C. for a year and a half, I sometimes forget how welcoming and close people can actually be. In the church and atop this barren mountain was a strong community that had gathered to grieve.

After nine hours of driving, I arrived back in D.C. around 1 a.m. on Tuesday morning. As often happens when I begin a new project, I feel refreshed and energized. I hope to return to Jolo and continue this project in the near future.

Jolo, West Virginia - Day 1

2011-02-12T20:52:00.000-08:00

On the day that Egypt declared its freedom, I found myself on the road to cover a much less prominent story - one about religion in small-town West Virginia.

Last summer, I took an anthropology course titled "Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion." Among other things, the course covered the religious beliefs of Jolo, a coal mining town of about 1,500 nestled deep in the West Virginia mountains. Jolo is surrounded by rugged Appalachian terrain and faces widespread unemployment and poverty. However, I have read that what residents lack materially, they make up for spiritually. Jolo is well-known for its serpent-handling churches, where members handle deadly snakes as a testament to their faith in God and their connection to the Holy Spirit.

Though serpent-handling churches generally don't allow photography during their services, I have always wanted to visit Jolo and explore the ways faith is practiced. If I've learned anything over the past year, it's that I simply need to go out and pursue the projects I'm interested in. I can't wait for someone to assign them to me. So, when I found out that I had this weekend off of work, I packed my bags and prepared for the eight-hour road trip down south.

I'm staying in a motel in the town of Bluefield, which is supposedly an hour outside of Jolo; I'm told that there are no motels in Jolo itself. Tomorrow morning, I am planning to meet with a Jolo minister and attend a church service. I decided to try to make the drive there today, though, just to make sure I'd be able to find the town. The roads around here can be hazardous and confusing.

It took me nearly two hours to navigate the steep, twisted route, but I finally reached Jolo at about 3 p.m. I didn't really know where to go, so I drove around for a while and explored. Like the other towns I had driven through, Jolo has numerous small churches of diverse denominations. However, all of them were deserted. It was starting to get dark outside, so I decided to try again on Sunday. At least now I knew how to get there.

I was just about to turn around when a house caught my eye - colorful flowers hung on its porch, and horses were grazing behind it on a steep hillside. When I pulled in the driveway, retired coal miner Matthew Pruitt stepped outside and welcomed me in. I ended up talking to him for about three hours about his life, his home, and his religious beliefs. He showed me around his house, which he shares with his blind cousin.

I've decided that the story I should pursue is not just about religion in Jolo, but about Jolo itself. In order to understand the town's spirituality, I need to understand the town and the people here. I know that this will take a while, but Matthew gave me a good introduction.

Visiting the LDS Temple

2011-02-08T16:08:00.000-08:00

Keeping with the theme of my current work, today I decided to visit the Washington D.C. LDS Temple. Anyone who has driven along Interstate 495 West in Maryland has undoubtedly seen this Mormon temple rising out of a distant cluster of trees. The building is located in a wooded and somewhat secluded residential area.

Though I have several Mormon friends, I'm not entirely familiar with the religion. What I do know, though, is that non-Mormons generally aren't allowed inside a temple, where sacred ceremonies are held. Neither are cameras. As a result, I spent most of my time exploring the visitors' center and walking the perimeter of the building. (However, I should add that not too long ago, a Utah temple actually did open its doors to reporters).

While not just anyone can enter a Mormon temple, a lot of effort goes into making Mormonism accessible to people of all backgrounds. I've read that non-Mormon guests can attend worship services, which are held in churches. Mormon missionaries are active in many parts of the world, and the Book of Mormon is available in about 80 languages. Though I couldn't just wander into the D.C. LDS Temple as I did the National Shrine and the Cathedral, I found a wealth of educational materials in the visitors' center. One of the women there approached me and asked if she could answer any questions I might have.

Photographing today posed an interesting challenge. What was the best way to capture the secluded, somewhat exclusive atmosphere of the Temple while also capturing the faith's efforts to establish accessibility and openness?

Visit to the National Shrine

2011-02-05T16:21:00.000-08:00

After my language class today, I decided to go on a short excursion to the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, which is the largest Catholic church in America. I work part-time at the National Cathedral (which is Episcopalian) gift store, and I thought it would be a good change of pace to photograph a different religious establishment. I'm so used to seeing the Cathedral that I sometimes have difficulty finding good photos opportunities there.

The Shrine is located at the Catholic University of America in northeast Washington, D.C. Ironically, it's a pretty shady part of town, and I didn't feel entirely comfortable walking to the church from the Metro stop. The Metro stop itself is pretty intimidating.

Once I made it to the Shrine, I discovered a cafeteria, where I went for a quick lunch. I'm glad I did, because I saw an amusing relationship between the diners and the stained glass panels lining the room:

The people at the table are photographers from the Northern Virginia Photographic Society, which was on a photo excursion at the Shrine. When I began to wander around the church, I saw several other members of the group photographing the building's interior and architecture. More interested in people photography, I spent my afternoon photographing how visitors and employees interacted with the church. I tried to find some less commonly depicted church scenes.

Of course, I couldn't leave without taking a photo in the gift store.

A Ghostly Presence

2011-02-01T20:00:00.000-08:00

In preparation for a project I hope to do abroad, I have been taking a language course downtown twice a week. On the way to one of my first classes (which are taught in D.C.'s financial district), I passed a Catholic bookstore and noticed a life-sized cardboard cutout of Pope Benedict XVI peering out at me through the window. I found it both amusing and unsettling, and I have been meaning to photograph it ever since.

The cutout is a little like the cross from my previous post. Both icons have a solemn, historical presence (especially the cutout, with its unwavering gaze), and yet both seem somewhat forgotten. Just as cars sped past the cross on the side of the Virginia road, pedestrians strode quickly by the portrait of Benedict XVI without a glance (although some of them did turn to stare at me). The cutout also has a rather ghostly presence and seems especially out of place. It is jarring to see someone like the Pope against the backdrop of D.C. rush hour traffic.

Another treacherous drive

2011-01-29T05:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's weather forecast called for light snow in the D.C. area, but I didn't think I would have any problems getting to central Virginia, where I had planned to spend the morning volunteering at Project Perry, a sanctuary for abused and neglected parrots.

I was wrong.

The snow was not confined to the District, and it was anything but "light." Snow flurries had started by the time I reached Fredericksburg around 8:15 a.m.; these soon turned into a thick, heavy snowfall. However, I was already halfway through my drive at that point, so I decided to keep going and try to make it to the parrot sanctuary. Unfortunately, the route I take involves a lot of small, back-country roads, none of which had received any salt or gravel. Not wanting to risk getting stuck out in the country or getting in an accident along the slick streets, I decided to turn around and head home.

I was disappointed. I'd really been looking forward to seeing the birds again; also, the combination of snow and parrots would have made for some interesting images. Not wanting to have driven all that way for nothing, I tried to look for some photo opportunities on my trip back.

I mentioned in my last post that I'm interested in examining the variations of religious practice in the U.S. Project Perry is located in Lousia, Virginia, a small town in the middle of the countryside. On my previous drives there, I've noticed lots of churches - some large, but many small community establishments, as well. I've never stopped to take any pictures before, so I decided today was the day to do so.

As I was driving east on Highway 3 back to Fredericksburg, I was struck by a large, partially snow-covered cross beside the road. I doubled back, parked my car, and trudged through the snow to the Baptist church where the cross was located.

It's taken a little thought for me to realize why I felt compelled to photograph this scene, as well as why this particular frame stood out. I think part of what moved me was the quiet of the snow and the solemnness of the cross - both of which were loudly disrupted by the passing cars (one of which honked at me).

It's interesting how nature and such powerful symbols can fade into the background of the daily bustle. How much is there that we're simply too pre-occupied to see? I'd never really noticed this particular cross before, even though I've driven by it dozens of times. I only saw it this time because I was actually looking for it.

Regarding Faith

2011-01-22T17:04:00.000-08:00

When I moved to Washington, D.C., about a year and a half ago, I immediately began to search for part-time employment. I had a part-time internship (my reason for moving to the area in the first place), but it was unpaid, like many are these days.

My job hunt initially led me to the Newseum, a museum of journalism history. The Newseum's gift store - run by an outside company called Event Network - was hiring sales associates. Soon after my Newseum interview, I received an e-mail from the director of the Washington National Cathedral gift store, which is also run by Event Network and was looking for new sales associates. I was hired shortly after that.

I couldn't get over the irony. Even though I was a journalism major in college, I had somehow ended up working at the Cathedral instead of the Newseum. Though I thought it was pretty far from my field of interest, the Cathedral job and religious issues in general have influenced my photography quite a bit.

For me, photography is about re-evaluation - it's about examining my surroundings from less conventional perspectives, revealing the mystery and nuance of the familiar, and challenging established narratives. And what better subject to explore than religion, which is often fraught with misunderstanding and intolerance? By elucidating both the mainstream manifestations and obscure reaches of spirituality, I hope to help cultivate new religious awareness and appreciation.

Since I realized that religion is a topic I'd like to pursue, I have both re-examined some of my older images and brainstormed for new projects. I will post soon about one of my current photo stories, which examines the beliefs and practices of Ásatrú, a neo-pagan (or heathen) faith that has been flourishing in the U.S. since the 1970s. In the meantime, I'm sharing some of my older photographs, as well as some images I've shot around the city and in the Cathedral itself.

Navigating rural Virginia

2011-01-19T09:53:00.000-08:00

As some of you might know, since last August, I've been volunteering once a week at a parrot sanctuary in rural Virginia. The sanctuary, known as Project Perry, rescues and rehabilitates abused an neglected parrots. I'm a bird-lover, so I enjoy going out there and spending time with the many varieties of parrots the organization houses.

In addition to the birds, one of my favorite things about volunteering is the trip out to the sanctuary. It's a 2.5 hour drive from my apartment in Washington, D.C. People think I'm crazy, but I enjoy the road trip through the countryside. It's a nice break from the insanity of the city.

I decided to make a trip out to Project Perry yesterday. Unfortunately, D.C. and Virginia were hit by sleet and snow the night before, making the roads extremely slick. I didn't experience any problems until I was about 10 miles away from the sanctuary. The road was too icy for me to go any farther; cars ahead of me (including a pick-up) had slid off into the embankment. I was annoyed and didn't want to turn back after driving so far, so I decided to try to use an alternate route. I managed to get lost, though, and arrived at Project Perry 1.5 hours later.

It was frustrating at the time, but I find that happenstance situations like this usually lead to unexpectedly good outcomes. Along the alternate route, I found myself driving along some eerie, tree-lined roads. Going relatively slowly with no one else in sight, I decided to experiment with some photography en route. Unable to look through the viewfinder while driving, I held the camera in one hand and shot while keeping my other hand on the wheel. This isn't an award-winning image or anything, but it was fun to try something new.

The World from 2,000 Feet Above

2011-01-02T13:40:00.000-08:00

This Christmas, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a ticket to go on a hot air balloon ride, something I have always wanted to do. My parents, aunt, and I woke up at 4 a.m. this morning and drove to Temecula Valley, Calif., which is home to numerous wineries and hot air balloon companies. Balloon rides generally occur early in the morning, when the air is cooler and winds tend to be gentler.

Winter is not a popular hot air ballooning season, mostly because of its unpredictable weather. Initially wary of an approaching rainstorm, we soon realized the gathering clouds we saw would make for an exceptionally picturesque ride. We experienced an especially fiery sunrise, and the mottled sunlight made the land below look rather Cézanne-esque.

Utterly enthralled, I shot about 200 frames. While I did shoot some images of the landscapes below, I found myself concentrating more on the experience and craft of hot air ballooning. I tried to capture both the exhilaration and utter vulnerability I felt in my brief time hovering above the earth.

Fantasy in the Familiar

2011-01-02T13:03:00.000-08:00

As part of a photography project I've been working on, I recently spent some time in San Francisco. The city is about 450 miles from my hometown of Riverside, Calif. Despite the large distance, I decided to make the seven-hour drive up and down the California coast, both because it was cheap to do so and because I enjoy road trips. I'm really glad I drove, because I found and photographed some intriguing landscapes along the way - something I definitely wouldn't have been able to do from an airplane.

I spent most of my time driving along Interstate 5, which winds through the central California countryside, an area both rich in produce and stinky because of a large cattle feedlot. I was struck in particular by what I believe was a grove of barren pecan trees. When I'm photographing landscapes, I find that I often gravitate toward trees, natural entities that are at once enchanting, overpowering, and frightening.

The photos I shot in the pecan grove are similar to some of the images I shot as part of my undergraduate photography thesis, in which I used a tilt-shift lens to explore latent unease in nature landscapes. However, neither of the images below utilizes lens distortions or digital manipulation. Simply by crouching down and shooting with a telephoto lens, I tried to replicate the fantastical and ominous feeling I often experience when I encounter trees.

Christmas Barbeque

2010-12-24T22:48:00.000-08:00

The day before Christmas, I ventured out to Rancho Cucamonga to visit one of my journalism friends from high school. I love Korean food (and most other Asian food), so when her mother invited me to stay for dinner, I couldn't resist. Later in the evening, I happened to glance outside and saw her father preparing Korean barbeque on the grill. I was struck by the way the Christmas lights framed her father, who was illuminated by a patio light as he cooked.

My family usually eats a big dinner on Christmas day itself. I'm accustomed to seeing my mother bustle about the kitchen, both tending to a turkey in the oven and occasionally stirring cranberries on the stove. I enjoyed witnessing the preparations for a holiday meal in a different household. I've been fortunate to attend several holiday celebrations this year, including a heathen Yule festival in the Arizona high desert. I really enjoy experiencing and documenting the cultural variations of my own country.

Unrelenting Rain

2010-12-22T23:39:00.000-08:00

Southern California has been hit with almost seven straight days of rain. The effects on the area have been disastrous: widespread flooding, evacuations, mudslides, horrendous traffic and general panic. And supposedly there is still more to come.

I went to John Wayne Airport with my mom today to pick up my aunt, who is visiting for the holidays. On the way there, we experienced a wide spectrum of weather: ominous clouds, torrential rain, patches of blue sky and blinding sunshine. I also spotted a rainbow from Interstate 91.

However, the most remarkable rainbow didn't appear until we were on our way home. The wide-angle lens (the only lens I took with me today) might not do it justice, but that rainbow was the thickest and most vibrant I've seen in a while.

I initially found myself wishing that I had a longer lens and that I were sitting in the front passenger seat, just so I'd get a somewhat closer shot. One advantage of shooting from the back seat with a wide-angle, though, was being able to fit a lot of context into the image.

Santa has business cards?

2010-12-22T01:02:00.000-08:00

While I was waiting to catch my flight back from Phoenix the other day, I noticed Santa walking around the airport. Not thinking too much of it, I continued eating my lunch and headed to my gate. As I approached the seating area, I noticed that Southwest had set up a station where children could get their photos taken with Santa. Participants received a $20 voucher for their next Southwest flight.

Tired and just wanting to zone out for a bit, I ignored the scene at first. However, I soon experienced the familiar nagging feeling that if I didn't take a photograph, I would probably regret it later. I got permission and shot for a little bit while children and parents lined up to see the big man in the red suit. What really struck me about the situation - and why I felt compelled to photograph it in the first place - was the juxtaposition of Santa and holiday merriment with the rather sterile airport environment. What I'm trying to do these days is find new ways to look at my surroundings and culture. Noticing this small oddity was a step in that direction.

On a side note, after I thanked Santa and introduced myself, he gave me a business card. I never knew Santa carried those.

A New Beginning

2010-12-20T18:40:00.000-08:00

I admit that I’ve been pretty bad about updating my blog over the past few months. In all the craziness of grant/job applications, work, volunteering, and language lessons, I’ve neglected to post on here.

As I mature as a photographer, I’ve become increasingly aware of how important it is for me to brainstorm and share my thoughts. When I studied art in college, some of my best, most focused ideas grew out of the bits and pieces I scribbled in my sketchbook. Additionally, I’ve realized how important it is for me to get feedback. I cannot grow in a vacuum.

Most importantly, I now know how important it is for me to keep shooting and keep my thoughts flowing. Until recently, I was taking a hiatus from photojournalism. This was partly because I was working on an undergraduate art thesis; I was also busy with a yearlong multimedia internship at an art museum.

However, I think the biggest reason I stopped taking documentary photographs was sheer laziness. Worried about my career prospects and adjusting to life in Washington, D.C., I stopped observing the world around me. I didn’t push myself to go out there and meet interesting people or to look for interesting stories. Yes, maybe I was starting to climb the professional ladder (everyone’s goal in cutthroat Washington, D.C.), but I was miserable.

After getting more involved in my city and finding several new stories to pursue, I’ve gradually gotten back into photojournalism. I’ve realized that for me, photography is about re-evaluation. It’s about ex-examining my own surroundings and sharing stories that challenge common perceptions of people and places.

I originally began this blog as a place to chronicle my travels and my photography projects abroad. Inspired by a good photography friend of mine, Jerome Nakagawa, I’m now hoping to use it on a more regular basis as a place to share photos I capture of the people and places around me. I hope to keep myself motivated and inquisitive. Feedback is welcome and greatly appreciated.

Chicago/Warren Dunes

2010-06-02T17:13:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, I took a trip to Chicago to visit friends and enjoy a day at Warren Dunes, an amazing lake beach in Sawyer, Michigan. I've said this to many people, but Chicago feels more like home to me than D.C. does. I'd like to move back at some point in the near future. I'm much happier when I'm there, and as a result, I'm more motivated and inspired in my photography.

Downtown Chicago, on the bridge to the Modern Wing of the Art Institute:

A student relaxing on a rock next Lake Michigan during Dillo Day, a day of concerts and drunken debauchery at Northwestern:

Warren Dunes - what a strange, amazing landscape:

Cherry Blossoms

2010-04-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

It's cherry blossom season in D.C. Every year, the cherry trees around the Tidal Basin are in bloom for about two weeks. Throngs of tourists come to see them. I went to see the trees on one of the peak bloom dates, so naturally, the place was packed. The line for the metro must have been three blocks long.

Yes, the trees are a tourist attraction, but I enjoy photographing people's interactions with nature, so I didn't mind too much. I was particularly intrigued by all the people climbing and resting in the trees.

Another Course to College

2010-03-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

The morning after I arrived in Boston, I went to visit the high school where my cousin Andrew teaches history. Even though I attended a major university with students from all over the world, I don't think I've ever been in as diverse a classroom as the one I visited in this public college preparatory high school school, called "Another Course to College." I enjoyed meeting people from so many different backgrounds. Andrew told me that students often travel long distances to school - sometimes riding a bus for more than an hour just to get to class.

It was nice to see my cousin in action, as well as observe another city's public educational system. As a native of California, where classes often have as many as 40 students, one thing that particularly struck me was how small this class was, and how much individual attention students received. The extra attention seems to be paying off. Students were really engaged.

Trip to Boston

2010-03-21T21:36:00.001-07:00

Once again, it's been a while since I've updated my blog. Life has been pretty busy!

I took a trip to Boston last weekend to visit my cousin and my aunt. I also met up with a college friend and fellow photographer while I was there. It was great to see them and explore a part of the country I'd never visited before. Here are a few shots from my trip:

This cat was interesting. I saw him the night of my arrival in Boston, and he hadn't moved by the following afternoon. He stayed in the same spot on his owner's (?) porch. I should mention that when I first pulled out my camera to take a picture, the cat promptly spit up a hairball.

This is my cousin's wife, Kelly, examining some slides of my cousin as a baby. I love my camera's live view function; it makes taking overhead shots like this one much easier.

I shot this image my last night in the city. I went out to meet up with a college friend, Kelvin, and met two of his friends, Dominick and Leah (pictured), who are also photographers. Though I later discovered my 50mm f/1.2 lens' elements were loose, I managed to shoot some images in the bar we visited.

I also worked on a small photo project while I was in Boston. I photographed one of the classes my cousin teaches at a local high school. More about that in another post.

It was nice to photograph more personal subject matter while I was in Boston. For a while now, I feel like I've approached professional photography with the idea that it can't be personal (i.e., reflecting my own life). When art gets too personal, it often becomes less accessible. When photojournalism gets too personal or the photographer gets too close to the subjects, people think it's not objective enough.

But there is something to be said for documenting personal stories. For instance, I can think of a documentary multimedia piece - Matt Eich's "Love in the First Person" - that does a wonderful job of sharing the photographer's story. It's moving precisely because the photographer is so close to the subject matter. Is there more room these days for personal narratives in photography?

From the archives

2010-02-08T19:18:00.000-08:00

In preparing my new website, I've been going through a lot of my old work. I've stumbled upon some images that I'd forgotten about. Not all of them have made it onto my website, so I thought I'd share a few of them here.

Cowboys in Kansas:

After an Independence Day parade in Hutchinson, Kansas:

Skateboarding in Hutchinson, Kansas:

New York City on Sept. 11, 2006:

On the train back from Coney Island (click the image to zoom in):

Lights in Miami and South Beach:

An emergency cesarian is section performed on a bulldog in Miami's Knowles Animal Clinic:

In 2006, Northwestern students traveled to different parts of Louisiana to help clean up Katrina's aftermath:

Jumping rope at Northwestern on Dillo Day, a day of concerts and drinking at the end of Spring Quarter:

Combatting the 2006 Emerald Fire in Southern California:

Snowpocalypse 2010

2010-02-08T14:33:00.000-08:00

D.C. has gotten a record-breaking amount of snow over the past week. It snowed about 30 inches on Friday/Saturday, and it is predicted to snow another 10-20 inches tomorrow and Wednesday.

While the snow sometimes prevents me from going to work (and earning a paycheck), it does create some interesting photo opportunities, so I guess I can't be too bitter about it. My roommate thought I was nuts, but on the morning of the "snowpocalyse," as it's being called, I wrapped my cameras in some grocery bags, put my boots on, and trudged 2.5 miles to Rock Creek Park to spend the day shooting. I did the same thing the day after the storm.

As I've written about previously, I'm really interested in creating images that evoke feelings of unease and disorientation in nature. Snow is great for exploring these ideas. Snowfall itself generates an eerie but beautiful silence, and familiar forms assume new and sometimes frightening appearances under a thick blanket of white.

I also enjoy photographing people's interactions with their natural surroundings, and snow provides ample opportunities to see people outdoors. There are many playful moments: people wrapping themselves in garbage bags and sliding down sledding hills; people cross-country skiing down Connecticut Ave.; people participating in organized snowball fights. But there are also activities that - when viewed from a bit farther away or from a less conventional angle - become somewhat jarring.

For example, take the fifth image from the top. I tried to step back far enough from the scene to strip away most of its familiarity and make it ambiguous. In this image, a father and daughter were building a snow fort under the tree. But it certainly doesn't appear that way when viewed from a distance. It's not clear what's happening.

I tried to achieve a similar ambiguity in this image, which I shot during a snowstorm we had in December:

Animated logo

2010-02-08T14:31:00.000-08:00

Finally updating this

2009-11-26T20:40:00.000-08:00

A lot has happened since I last wrote here last, which was back in July during my trip to New Mexico.

I moved to Washington, D.C., in early September. I'll be here for at least a year for an internship at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. I also have a second part-time job at the Washington National Cathedral.

It was a difficult move, and the transition has been hard, as well. I really miss Chicago. It feels like more of a city to me than D.C. does. More vibrant and less yuppified. I went back to visit in October; hopefully I'll be going back some more this year.

There are some beautiful natural areas around D.C. though, and it's been fun exploring. I'm trying to go some new directions in my artwork. I'm still focusing on the concept of unease in nature, but tilt-shift has gotten kind of old. I've been doing some video work, shooting a lot of film, and shooting unposed digital images, some of which actually don't have people in them (unusual for me).

In my work I explore how our surroundings can be inherently disconcerting, especially when viewed from less accepted perspectives. My photos also convey certain instinctual feelings of vulnerability to nature. I'm attracted to landscapes that are raw and have a certain primacy to them.

I think a large part of what motivates me in my artwork is my previous experiences with anxiety. I used to feel like I was okay and calm on the surface, but that there was always this chaos and uncertainty lurking beneath that I would experience with even the slightest misstep. Nature is similar. On the surface it's familiar, maybe even calming or enticing. But if you happen to glance at it from a different angle, encounter its oddities or witness certain human interactions with it, it can so quickly become disorienting, unfamiliar, and disturbing.

sad to leave this place

2009-07-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

So I had a bit of an adventure yesterday. I drove all the way from Santa Fe to the White Sands National Monument, which is about a 5-hour drive. I spent about 4 hours there taking photos. It was pretty incredible...the sand looked like snow, and people were even sledding in it. Definitely one of the more surreal places I've been in a while.

I was too tired to make the drive back, so I crashed at a random motel in a small town and drove back today at dawn. Beautiful drive.

the land of enchantment

2009-06-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

That's the state motto of New Mexico. I'm spending 4 days in Santa Fe for a post-graduation vacation. The art scene is lively and the landscapes are plentiful; what else could I ask for?

The only thing that's bugging me is that I feel like I'm getting stuck in a rut with my photography. The locations of my images change, but many of the images resemble those I've shot before. I need to figure out a way to switch things up again...

The first photo is this amazing area I'm going to go back to in a couple of days. It looks like the New Mexican equivalent of the grassy Hawaiian field I photographed.

hawaii, day 2

2009-03-25T13:27:00.001-07:00

hawaii, day 1

2009-03-24T11:05:00.000-07:00

I'm in Hawaii for Spring Break. I'm trying to do some of my tilt-shift landscape photos here. Yesterday I saw a lot of cows. I also fell on some lava rocks and nearly dropped my camera.

finally, a snowstorm!

2009-03-01T20:54:00.000-08:00

Most people wouldn't be excited about the arrival of a blizzard on the first day of March. I've been trying to photograph a snowstorm this entire winter but have been foiled every single time; the snow has either petered out before I've had the chance to photograph, or, as was the case last weekend when I was helping photograph a wedding, I haven't had the time to shoot when there actually is snow. Needless to say, I was pretty happy when I looked out the window this morning and saw the heavy snowfall. I'm probably the only person in Chicago who was.

Snow adds another layer of surrealism to things, especially when photographed using this lens. The environment almost swallows the subject. Today I tried to play around with this idea and some other elements, such as ambiguous footprints.

some recent t/s photos

2009-02-25T19:16:00.000-08:00

Winter certainly creates some interesting landscapes in the Chicago area. I've been working a lot with horizons and odd landscapes recently. I'm trying to stay away from the Crewdson-esque poses of figures looking bewildered in their environment; instead, I want figures and their actions to be ambiguous and only slightly off-kilter. I'm looking forward to some changes of scenery, i.e., spring. Spring means mud and controlled burns, things that have the potential to be very eerie and strange in these types of photographs.

Projections

2009-02-19T20:17:00.000-08:00

I'm in an intermediate photography course this quarter, and for our most recent assignment, titled "Subject as Object," we were supposed to present images in a non-traditional way. The only stipulation was that the photographs couldn't hang on the wall. I ended up doing something with projections and the idea of blending in. With the exception of the black-and-white self-portrait, these are all projections of images of paintings I found online. I photographed myself standing in front of the projections. I used the blur tool to make myself fade in better, but honestly even without Photoshop, it's kind of amazing how much I disappeared into the images.

when all else fails...

2009-02-14T09:04:00.000-08:00

....photograph yourself.

how is this quarter already half over?

2009-02-06T23:05:00.001-08:00

At least it's warming up. Supposedly it's going to be in the 50s this weekend. I don't think that will last too long.

burrows

2009-01-10T22:31:00.000-08:00

Evanston was hammered with a blizzard today; I think we received somewhere around a foot of snow. I've been looking forward to shooting in a snowstorm for a while now, so I took advantage of today's weather to photograph a landscape near Lake Michigan.

I'd been wandering around for a bit, knee-deep in snow, when I stumbled upon a scene that was as uncanny as it was hilarious. Two people (presumably students) were burrowing into a large snowbank.

What strikes me most about these images is that they are naturally strange. The people are unposed; such a strange event actually occurred. One is left to wonder where these people are going, why they're going there, and what's going to happen to them. Will they disappear into the dark tunnels for good and be buried alive? A candid scene arouses our feelings of disorientation and unease. As I witnessed today, the uncanniness that I base most of my photos on occurs in real life.

I'm torn between the two photos I've posed above. The landscape in the lower image lacks any defining features and becomes extremely ambiguous. The question of reality and fakeness becomes more prominent, and the viewer has a difficult time orienting himself to the space. This image evokes more disorientation and unease than the upper one. Though I like the lone tree in this photo, it also grounds the image and makes it easier for the viewer to approach.

california landscapes

2008-12-28T22:48:00.001-08:00

I've been in Southern California for the past three weeks for winter break, and it's proven to be a wonderful place for the types of images I like to shoot. This place has tons of landscapes--from the cliffs above the Pacific Ocean to the beautiful open plains of the desert. Shooting in these different places has allowed me to expand my vision a bit and try some new techniques. My only regret is that there is so much to see. I need much more time and money to explore the landscapes around here. Maybe I will make that a summer project?

The following three photos were taken in Death Valley, a national park about four hours from where I live. Unfortunately, the place is much too vast to see in one day, but my dad, aunt and I tried to hit some of the highlights while we were there.

The photo above is one of my favorites from the day. If there's one thing I've noticed recently in my work, it's that the landscapes I shoot don't necessarily need a person to be interesting or compelling. In fact, some of them are even more powerful when left empty. Having a figure in the space can seem unnatural and forced. I think this is one of those places.

I'm also trying to be more subtle in my imagery, as in the reflection in the image above. When things are too overtly off-kilter and weird, they don't necessarily work as well. Keeping the weirdness subtle makes the image more believable and thus more unsettling. It's more effective on the psychological level, because places and people that should be real become disorienting.

The two images above are also from Death Valley. There were some sand dunes and some great late-afternoon light that made for interesting imagery. The open spaces added a new dynamic, as well.

This final image is from San Diego. Though there is a figure here and in the sand dunes photos, I tried to keep the action more subtle, for reasons I explained above. I also tried to keep the figure's presence subtle in the image above.

I also like the weird spatial compression in this photo. Though the space is wide open compared to that in a lot of my other images, it somehow seems closed. The focus seems to be pressing down on the figure, almost smothering her.

In any case, I'm enjoying experimenting with the wide open spaces and varied terrain California has. I'm only here for a few more days, but I hope I can shoot some more in my remaining time. I think I'll go back to Chicago with some new perspectives and ideas.

snowy field

2008-12-08T09:13:00.001-08:00

It snowed several times within this past week, so I went out to photograph and see how the snow could affect my images. Here is the same field I photographed about a week ago, now covered in a blanket of snow. This time, I brought someone along to pose for me. I think I chose the coldest day of the week to go out. It was about 14 degrees Fahrenheit, not counting wind chill. Needless to say I took a few photos and we got out of there quickly.

What's weird about this location is that there's this little dip between the two raised areas. Water must have collected there or something, because there was what looked like a small frozen stream when I went back this past week. I tried to use the ice in my image to generate more unease/tenuousness. What is this person doing on such a narrow patch of ice in the middle of the field? Is he going to fall? Where is he going? It just makes it slightly more bizarre. I'm realizing that it's not just the way I use people in my images that counts, but the oddities of the locations themselves. Weird environments make for even stranger t/s photos.

The light worked out nicely on this particular day. It was really overcast, which would have been fine, but all of a sudden, the sun peaked through the clouds for about 10 seconds. I quickly shot a few frames; this image was one of them. I think the heightened contrast makes the image more eerie. Also, this is the only image I shot in the nice light where the figure is facing away from the camera. For some reason, this seems more effective to me than when the figure is facing the camera.

I'm excited to go home to Southern California for winter break. There will be some interesting landscapes there for me to explore, especially those that have been charred by the recent wildfires.

photo project

2008-12-01T22:13:00.000-08:00

I haven't updated in a long time. Sorry about that.

Anyway, this year I'm going to be doing a long-term art project involving tilt/shift photography and natural landscapes. I started this fall and I'll continue through the spring. The goal is to explore ideas of unease, disorientation and the uncanny. There is a bit of psychological tenuousness involved, as well. This is one of my recent images:

As you can see in the photo above, I usually pose people in my images, but recently I've just been shooting empty landscapes. I'll try to revisit some of this places later when I have people with me. I'm trying to take advantage of the seasons. Right now the snow makes things look pretty awesome. But the fall colors were wonderful too.

I'll post some of the images I'm making and some comments about them. I'd appreciate any feedback!

The image below is actually a bit atypical for me. Usually I shoot downward at an angle when I'm using the t/s lens, but this time I shot up. It doesn't quite have the effect I was going for, but I'm in love with these trees. I've photographed them before and go back to this spot every chance I get.

This one is also different from the kinds of images I usually shoot. Usually I photograph dense landscapes, but I really like the barren quality of this place. To me it feels even more tenuous because it's not weighed down by the surrounding foliage or trees that are in a lot of my images. It's open. The snow adds to the light quality.

fall colors

2008-10-10T21:06:00.001-07:00

Went to shoot some photos at a beach near campus today..I'd forgotten how beautiful fall here can be.

Hutchinson Fire Department

2008-09-22T08:28:00.000-07:00

One of the two photo projects I did while at the Hutchinson paper was published this Sunday. There is an audio slideshow.

My favorite photo from the project:

I have to say that this was one of my favorite projects to work on. I enjoyed getting to know everyone in the Hutchinson Fire Department and have a new appreciation for their work.

best sign ever

2008-09-17T16:43:00.001-07:00

some more fair photos

2008-09-14T15:27:00.001-07:00

Here are a couple more photos from the fair. The first is from a Motocross show I shot during the week. I would like the shot a whole lot more if the lighting hadn't been so terrible, and the photo wasn't so grainy as a result. It wasn't really feasible to pan with these guys either. Oh well.

That morning, there was a cow pie throwing contest. You heard me right: cow pies. As in, dried cow poop. Here are some ladies trying to pick out the right pies to throw.

a rainy week

2008-09-13T22:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my last official day of shooting at the Kansas State Fair. Quite an experience. Definitely saw lots of interesting people and fun activities. But the rain we had all week definitely put a damper on things.

One of the good things about rain though is that it does make for interesting art. This is a fairgoer preparing to step over a puddle, which reflects the giant Ferris wheel Friday night. Gotta love the 50mm f/1.2 lens.

Here is a girl sleeping in one of the dairy barns. This is one of a couple of standalone photos I shot Saturday.

I leave Kansas this coming week and head back to Chicago for school. More photos and reflections to come as I finish my two photo projects and pack my bags.

Kansas State Fair, Pt 1

2008-09-07T22:36:00.001-07:00

The Kansas State Fair lasts from Sept. 5 until Sept. 14. It's some pretty intense shooting, because all of the photographers at the paper basically have 4 assignments per day. Here are a couple of images from the first few days. I really hope the weather gets better. The rain has made some of the shooting difficult.

Poppy's New Trick

2008-09-07T07:42:00.001-07:00

My cat has taken up the habit of lying on top of the refrigerator, dangling his paw over the edge and swatting me when I am close.

More photos I've actually shot for the paper will come soon. I've just been really busy and haven't had the time to update in a while. I also wanted to wait until I'd finished working on my two projects: one on a large animal veterinarian and one on local firefighters. Those should be done within a week.

additional Yoder photos

2008-08-25T10:57:00.000-07:00

Anyone ever seen a buggy race?Shadows during the Yoder Heritage Day parade.

amish fireworks

2008-08-23T20:02:00.000-07:00

The annual Yoder Heritage Days took place today in Yoder, the Amish town about 20 miles outside of Hutchinson. After shooting events in the afternoon heat, I decided to go back tonight to shoot the fireworks just for fun. Not as exciting as the Independence Day fireworks, but it gave me a chance to practice shooting some silhouettes. Of course, the man in the photo is wearing a cowboy hat. If you know me well you know I have sort of fallen in love with cowboy hats this summer, and many of my photos seem to feature them.

more mutton bustin'

2008-08-17T19:25:00.000-07:00

Here one of the contestants falls off of his sheep. Even though it's only a sheep, falling off still looks pretty painful.

the sunflower state

2008-08-17T15:30:00.000-07:00

Today I went back to shoot more of the rodeo for fun, because the paper did not need any additional photos. I got up early this morning to photograph a cowboy church service held at the community church next to the rodeo grounds. Then, before the rodeo began, I made a quick trip to a sunflower field I'd seen on my way back from Pretty Prairie once. Kansas is "The Sunflower State," and I'd been meaning to photograph some sunflowers. Miraculously, I didn't get stung by bees while I shot.

mutton bustin', anyone?

2008-08-16T22:27:00.001-07:00

Today I got the chance to cover yet another rodeo, this one in the town of Abbyville, about a 20-minute drive from Hutch. This rodeo was for kids, though. It was nice to be able to cover another rodeo and focus more on action this time. I'm going back for more tomorrow (Sunday).
Also, for those unfamiliar with it, mutton bustin' is a rodeo event in which kids ride on sheep for as long as they can before falling off. It's pretty hilarious.

Later in the evening, my cat was eying me warily from my apartment window. I think he resents the fact that I'm gone so much.

motorcycle slideshow

2008-08-10T08:43:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I photographed a beginner's motorcycle course offered through Hutchinson Community College. Here is a slideshow, with some of the photos I shot.

Space Camp photo

2008-08-05T21:55:00.000-07:00

Meant to post this a while ago. This is one of my favorite photos from the Space Camp at the Kansas Cosmosphere. A participant explores the inside of the Apollo Command Module.

bugs

2008-08-05T11:05:00.000-07:00

I had a Kansas moment the other night when I was driving to the Wichita airport to pick up one of my friends. I heard a "plunk, plunk" against the windshield. I thought it was rain. Then I realized...it was bugs.

Above: my car after 2 trips to and from the Wichita airport. All those little specks are dead bugs.

kansas city for the weekend

2008-07-28T15:14:00.000-07:00

I drove to visit my friend Beth in Kansas City this weekend. There were some nasty storms when I left, but some beautiful light and weather that followed. Here are some photos from my trip.

Parking garage light..looks like some sort of gem to me.

Crosswalk shadows.
Reflection of city in bumper. I looked like a crazy person when I was taking this.
Chinese lanterns lining a bridge. They were for a Dragon Boat Festival that Kansas City just had.
Rainbow on the way there after an intense storm. And yes, the sky actually is that yellow/red.
My personal favorite. Shadows in downtown Kansas City.

stadium

2008-07-25T23:08:00.001-07:00

Went to shoot a car race tonight, and couldn't help but notice the sky against the top of the stadium. I love the clouds here.

More rodeo photos

2008-07-20T13:45:00.000-07:00

Here, a girl tries on cowboy hates before Wednesday's rodeo.

A father and his son enjoy a spinning ride after Thursday's rodeo.

Two fans sit in the stands before Friday's rodeo.

One of the rodeo contestants after falling off of his horse.

Kevin Graber, a latch man, before helping to open a bucking chute for a rider Thursday night.

A bull circles the arena in a bullfighting event after Friday's rodeo (tilt/shift!).

Rodeo fans waiting at a snack stand...really neat lighting.

Two men standing at the gate where livestock run after an event.

Pretty Prairie Rodeo 2008

2008-07-19T22:46:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while, but I've been busy this week covering the Pretty Prairie Rodeo, Kansas' largest nighttime rodeo. Since Wednesday, I've been driving out to the tiny town of Pretty Prairie, which was inundated by cowboys and rodeo fans. I'll post more photos later, but here are some of my favorite shots from tonight. It was cloudy during the day, but the sky was beautiful at sunset as fans watched one of the rodeo events.

Here, performers wait for the rodeo to begin.

For an audio slideshow of the rodeo, click here.

Space Camp!

2008-07-13T11:52:00.000-07:00

I spent a lot of this past week shooting photos of a nearby space camp. The Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center, one of the "seven wonders of Kansas," offers a space camp known as the Future Astronaut Training Program during the summer. It also has several other educational programs. FATP caters to middle and high school students, and campers experience simulators and launch rockets, among other activities.

Here, a FATP participant gets a ride in a multi-axis trainer, a machine that whirls you around, I assume simulating g-forces.

Rockets were also launched at the nearby Kansas State Fairgrounds.

Here, a student in another camp offered by the Cosmosphere looks at a painted model airplane.

Finally, my favorite shot. A camper is inside the Apollo command module. Unfortunately this site puts a big "preview" over his face. But you get the idea.

racing in a Ford Pinto

2008-07-09T22:29:00.000-07:00

Here is Shelby Stucky, 16, who races in a Ford Pinto on a racetrack in town. It has some problems getting started sometimes. Her father wouldn't let her drive it far from her house for a photo, probably because the car is so noisy.

pretty prairie

2008-07-07T13:58:00.001-07:00

There is actually a town nearby called Pretty Prairie. It's pretty tiny. If you blink, you might miss it.

There is going to be a rodeo in Pretty Prairie in a couple of weeks, and I'm really excited about covering it. I went snooping around the town today to see what it was like.

Here's where the rodeo will take place in a couple of weeks. It was absolutely deserted today and the entrance gate was wide open.

Grain elevator, anyone?

I don't think I've ever seen mailboxes like these, or at least in a long time. They were lined up on the side of the road.

Last but not least, corn. Too pretty to pass up.

church shadows

2008-07-07T09:18:00.000-07:00

I was walking near my apartment building recently when I noticed the sun hitting the power poles and creating neat shadows. It looked like there was another set of crosses on the side of the building.

messy, stinky birds

2008-07-06T21:27:00.000-07:00

I never knew egrets could be a problem, but apparently these birds have invaded areas near Hutchinson and caused lots of problems. The city is doing its best to expel them.

I got sent out to photograph these birds on the outskirts of town. I would guess there were hundreds of them in the trees next to Scott Street.

Also, I don't think I've ever been around such stinky birds.

Firefighters

2008-07-05T17:00:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post about this earlier, but the other night I followed some firefighters from Fire Station 1 as they patrolled the city for fireworks violations. It was a little difficult keeping up with them and I had to be careful not to violate any traffic laws with them watching. They stopped a lot to thank residents who were using fireworks in a safe way, as they did here. Coincidentally, the same firefighters I photographed the other night also drove their truck, the Quint, in the parade on Friday.

Independence Day

2008-07-04T22:55:00.000-07:00

I was the only photographer from the paper working today, so, between editing and shooting photos, I had a ton of stuff to do.

First, I photographed a parade on Main Street from 10-noon (and got really sunburned in the process.) Hutchinson is definitely one patriotic city.

photo 1

photo 2

photo 3

photo 4

After cooling off for a bit, I went out on an assignment with a reporter. Her story was about wheat harvesters who had to work on Independence day this year. When we arrived, a woman had prepared lunch for the harvesters and was waiting for one to return for his meal.

photo 5

One harvester's combine had broken down, so he spent a while trying to fix it.

photo 6

Finally, the reporter and I met a 90-year-old man who was out harvesting his 80 acres of wheat. What a character!

photo 7

Brief Visit to Wichita

2008-06-30T17:41:00.000-07:00

I drove to Wichita today; the city is only about an hour away from Hutchinson. Unfortunately a lot of the places I wanted to see downtown were closed. I walked around the Old Town Marketplace for a while. When I was leaving I noticed some cool structures. The "Why here" graffiti is kind of ironic.

Anyway, car is temporarily broken, so no road trips for me for a while :-(

Photos

2008-06-29T15:40:00.000-07:00

Because the photos I shoot for the Hutchinson News technically belong to the paper, I can't post them here. But I am going to share links to my photos on the Web. The Hutch News frequently posts published photos for purchase on its Web site.

Here are the links to this past week's photos:

http://hutchnews.mycapture.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?userphoto=0&image=
19477985&thispage=1

http://hutchnews.mycapture.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?userphoto=0&image=
19477989&thispage=1

http://hutchnews.mycapture.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?userphoto=0&image=
19477992&thispage=1

These first photos I shot at a local festival that took place yesterday. The festival included a medicine show and gypsy dancers, among other things.

http://hutchnews.mycapture.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?userphoto=0&image=
19461439&thispage=4

This is a shot from a mock disaster held at the south campus of Hutchinson Community College. The disaster served as an exercise for EMS students. Participants helped make the scene as realistic as possible. Here, a boy painted with fake blood likes under a tree branch. He pretends to be a victim of a nasty bus accident.

http://hutchnews.mycapture.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?userphoto=0&image=
19472436&thispage=4

The fireworks stand that was damaged by severe winds.

http://hutchnews.mycapture.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?userphoto=0&image=
19472431&thispage=4

A view of a baseball game from above. I was afraid I'd be blown off the roof, where I shot most of my photos from the game.

View from my Apartment

2008-06-29T15:33:00.001-07:00

My cat, Poppy, perches a lot on my sofa to watch birds and bugs outside of my apartment. I tried to get him to stay there for this photo. The move to Kansas has been a tough transition for him, as well. I think he's pretty lonely during the day.

Tomorrow I plan to take some photos of Hutchinson and possibly Wichita, just to give an idea of what my new surroundings are like.

In Kansas for the Summer

2008-06-28T20:08:00.001-07:00

So I guess it's time for an update. For those who don't know, I'm spending the summer as a photo intern for the Hutchinson News (or Hutch News, as it is more commonly called) in Hutchinson, Kansas. Hutchinson is a city about an hour outside of Wichita.

I'd never been to Kansas before I arrived here last Wednesday. These past few days have been full of discoveries for me.

First of all, everything is incredibly flat, and the weather is awfully hot and humid this time of year. The air conditioning in my car broke recently, so I definitely need to get that fixed. But aside from those things, this area is actually really nice. The drive in from Missouri was beautiful; I don't think I've ever seen such rolling, green hills in my life. There is wildlife everywhere (and sadly, lots of roadkill as a result). The people here are also very friendly. I'm reminded of the time I spent in Senegal: Many things are oriented around the community, and people actually take the time to say hi to one another on the streets.

Hutchinson is larger than I imagined it would be. There is a lot to do here: A nature center, a space center, a water park, etc. There is also an Amish town nearby in an area called Yoder. I'd really like to visit there and shoot some photos; it's supposed to have an awesome restaurant, and I've never been to an Amish area before. Sadly, many Amish people don't like having their photos taken, so I don't know how successful I'll be. Plus there are sprawling green hills and wildlife on the outskirts if you just drive a few miles. I drove down 30th street today to see where it would take me, and I saw a group of cows bathing in a pond.

Of course, there is severe weather. Fortunately tornado season is just about over. But this morning I woke up to thunder and lightening, and the sky was a menacing shade of gray. I'm not too familiar with the signs of tornadoes, so I was a little worried. Luckily it just turned out to be a thunderstorm. It did postpone a lot of activities today though.

They have me doing a lot at the newspaper. The Hutch News has a small photo staff--three staff photographers, a high school student who helps out, and me. So needless to say they have me working a lot. I've been getting about three assignments a day. Today was a little slower because of the rain.

There were some awful winds and rain the other night; someone told me the winds reached speeds of up to 100mph! There was a lot of damage, and I got sent out to find some of it. There are fireworks stands all over the place here, and unfortunately, at least one of them suffered in the storm. The one I saw had just been set up the day before, and many of its supplies were ruined.

I've also already shot a baseball game, a portrait of a family that has a lot of foster and adopted children, and a mock disaster at the nearby community college.

When the editor of The Hutchinson News interviewed me a few months ago, she asked something like, "You've been to Miami, Chicago, Africa...why do you want to come to Kansas?" I replied that I was eager to see a part of the country I'd never visited before and discover the stories that place had to offer.

Stay tuned...

butterflies

2008-06-21T20:46:00.000-07:00

I recently went to a butterfly exhibit in Chicago with a high schooler I have been tutoring in photography. Soon after entering the area, a butterfly or moth (I couldn't quite tell) landed on my leg and wouldn't let go.

Dillo Day

2008-05-31T22:22:00.000-07:00

For those not aware of Northwestern traditions, Dillo Day is a day where big-name bands come to campus and play concerts throughout the day. The concerts occur in an area called the Lakefill, which is basically a large field. Usually most of the student body is significantly drunk.

This year's Dillo Day was especially memorable because the Lakefill was incredibly muddy. By the end of the night, it was a giant mud pit. Pretty much everyone--including myself--was filthy.

Some did belly flops in the mud. That must have been what these guys were doing.

new york!

2008-05-25T22:00:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a great trip to New York. Met up with some good friends, saw a rather risqué Broadway musical, ate some West African food and romped in Central Park to take some photos. Absolutely beautiful weather, as well. Tons of people were out sunbathing Sunday afternoon.

isa bonfire

2008-04-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

I'm not an international student, but I went to the International Students Association's bonfire last night. Great fun, lots of s'mores, and some cool shooting opportunities with the tilt/shift lens, which I (sadly) have to return tomorrow :(

Protest downtown

2008-04-16T20:48:00.000-07:00

I was down at the Art Institute today with my Japanese woodblock printing class and went to cover a photo assignment afterward at Chicago's Federal Plaza. Protesters were representing those who have died in Israel and Palestine. To do this, they lay "dead" on the pavement. This happened during rush hour, so many commuters were walking by. I couldn't have asked for better lighting.

tilt-shift

2008-04-15T23:02:00.000-07:00

So for a while now I've been fascinated with tilt/shift lenses and the optical illusions they create. I finally rented one for a week to shoot an assignment for my color photography class. Here are some of the results.

Most of these were shot in downtown Chicago. Unfortunately I picked a rotten day to go down there; it was pouring rain, and I ended up doing most of my shooting from beneath an umbrella.

The following image is my favorite, and one that I think I could expand on in a larger project for this course. It touches more on ambiguous spaces and distortions than the rest of the photos. As my instructor Pam says, tilt-shift can easily be over-used and become a kind of gimmick. I don't want to fall into that rut. So I need to continue to find unique angles and jarring subjects for this to work. Any suggestions?

I love my courses this quarter. I'm going to be challenged to come up with some of my projects, but it will definitely help me grow as an artist/photographer.

rearview mirror

2008-04-05T21:57:00.001-07:00

Fooling around with the off-camera flash. I forgot to ask my dad to take off his glasses. Oops.

experimenting with tilt-shift

2008-04-03T21:02:00.001-07:00

So there is a lens I've been meaning to try for a while. It's called a tilt-shift lens. The lens elements move independently of one another, creating a nice blurring, miniature effect. Because I don't own the lens, I tried to imitate it in Photoshop. I need some practice, but it's a start.

back from Canada

2008-03-28T21:37:00.001-07:00

Well, after two entire days of driving, my roommate and I have made it back to Illinois. I should mention that I got my first speeding ticket ever on the highways of Quebec. The trip to Quebec was fun, albeit short. And cold. Here are some more highlights.

A butterfly in the Montreal botanical gardens' "Papillons en Liberté" "Butterflies in Freedom") exhibit. The butterflies at the exhibit were from Africa.

A woman lights a candle in the old district of Montreal's Notre Dame church on Easter Sunday.

WTF, Midwest? A blizzard in March?

2008-03-21T19:51:00.000-07:00

While the rest of Northwestern is going to warm locations for Spring Break, Jessica, Allison and I will be going on a roadtrip to Canada to visit Montreal and Quebec.

Today was the first day of our drive. We were supposed to end up in Detroit this evening, but a severe snowstorm forced us to stop in Jackson, Michigan, after about 10 hours of driving. The top speed we reached on a large portion of the highway here was 35 mph. At other times, the traffic was completely stopped.

So we are staying a Country Inn tonight. The room is nice, and it's only $99 a night! Tomorrow we will begin the long drive to the border, insha'allah.

my own polar swim

2008-03-02T08:57:00.001-08:00

Last weekend I covered a Polar Bear Swim on the northern end of campus. People voluntarily jumped in Lake Michigan to raise money for the Special Olympics. Unfortunately, while trying to photograph them in the act, I sank through some thin ice and also experienced the frigid lake.

On the way home, I ran across some friendly geese.

Tragedy at NIU

2008-02-16T00:59:00.001-08:00

On Valentine's Day, I heard some disturbing news: Another deadly school shooting had occurred, this time only 70 miles from Northwestern's campus.

A gunman opened fire Thursday at Northern Illinois University, killing five students and himself.

This is just another reminder of how quickly and unpredictably tragedy can strike. My heart goes out to all of the victims and their families.

I was unable to make it out to NIU on Thursday, so I headed out there Friday evening to attend a vigil in the school commons.

Super Tuesday!

2008-02-06T01:14:00.001-08:00

Today was quite an experience. I went downtown with several other Daily staffers to cover Barack Obama's speech, given at the Hyatt Regency. Unfortunately the hotel required us to be there at 2pm to pick up our credentials. After I spent hours standing in a couple of carefully staked-out spots, Obama finally spoke at about 10:30pm. My feet and back are quite sore.

But photographing this event was definitely a good experience for me. I was actually able to access the stage area toward the end of his speech, so I got some shots that weren't just me shooting from the press area. It reminded me overall of my experience covering Blagojevich's re-election a couple of years ago, but this was definitely more hectic.

wrestling match

2008-02-01T21:50:00.001-08:00

Tonight I shot my first wrestling match in Welsh-Ryan Arena. The lighting in there is absolutely horrible. But it was really cool to crouch on the floor and get some shots from a different angle. I love the expressions on these guys' faces!

Here, the ref counts while two wrestlers hold onto each other.

And some other shots:

MLK day 2008

2008-01-22T19:45:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I attended a candlelight vigil and accompanying ceremony honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It was touching to hear the student performances and see such a large turnout.

I <3 my 50mm 1.2 lens. It lets in an amazing amount of light. While most photographers had to use strobes at this event, I just had to use my 50mm.

Here is a different angle on the often boring speaker shot. This is Eva Jefferson Peterson, a Northwestern alumna who spoke at the vigil. I shot through the audience.

Finally, they seem to have this photo of Martin Luther King every year at the MLK ceremony.